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The Illustrated Colonials, Book One
Six international teens join the American Revolution.
Coming of age and making history.
They went into 1776 looking for a fight. Little did they know how much it would cost them…
Six rich kids from around the globe join the Bostonian cause, finding love and treachery along the path to liberty.
A new perspective on one of history’s most fascinating moments.
Amply illustrated edition of a young-adult historical fiction novel.
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Q&A
When and where do you prefer to write?
Mornings, for sure. Afternoons and evenings are for editing and research, and late night is for opening up the imagination to new scenarios. I am not a gifted writer, but if I pay attention to my characters, over time I can carve out a decent story.
Do you need peace and quiet when you are writing?
Yes! Music helps. If I try to write during a semester when I am also teaching, the writing turns out fragmented and shallow.
If you had the chance to co-write a book, whom would it be with?
Louis L’Amour. His writing has a compelling, page-turning quality that mine does not.
Say someone asks if they can use your name in a book. Would you rather be the ‘good one’ or the ‘bad one’?
The good one! I am conventional in most ways. “Game of Thrones” was a shock to my storytelling system.
Who would you like/have liked to interview?
I interviewed an amazing writer and thinker named Jane Tompkins for my online journal, Empire Studies Magazine. Her book “West of Everything: The Inner Life of Westerns” is filled with useful insights into literature. Very accessible ideas. This is still one of my favorite interviews.
Where can I find you when you are reading?
At the sunlight end of the sofa.
Where can I find you when you are not writing/reading?
With my kids, in the gym, or walking in one of the parks nearby.
What goes through your mind when you hold your new book in your hands for the first time?
A chapter of my life has now closed. A new one is about to begin.
How do you come up with a title for your book?
I look for the least bogus, most accurate phrase for that story.
How do you pick a cover for your book?
Well, most of my books are illustrated, so I can choose from several compositions. The striking, graphic images always catch my eye. My colleagues and reviewers often prefer more traditional cover images.
Thank you, Tom Durwood and The Coffee Pot Book Club
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About the Author
Tom Durwood is a teacher, writer and editor with an interest in history. Tom most recently taught English Composition and Empire and Literature at Valley Forge Military College, where he won the Teacher of the Year Award five times. Tom has taught Public Speaking and Basic Communications as guest lecturer for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group at the Dam’s Neck Annex of the Naval War College.
Tom’s ebook Empire and Literature matches global works of film and fiction to specific quadrants of empire, finding surprising parallels. Literature, film, art and architecture are viewed against the rise and fall of empire. In a foreword to Empire and Literature, postcolonial scholar Dipesh Chakrabarty of the University of Chicago calls it “imaginative and innovative.” Prof. Chakrabarty writes that “Durwood has given us a thought-provoking introduction to the humanities.” His subsequent book “Kid Lit: An Introduction to Literary Criticism” has been well-reviewed. “My favorite nonfiction book of the year,” writes The Literary Apothecary (Goodreads).
Early reader response to Tom’s historical fiction adventures has been promising. “A true pleasure … the richness of the layers of Tom’s novel is compelling,” writes Fatima Sharrafedine in her foreword to “The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter.” The Midwest Book Review calls that same adventure “uniformly gripping and educational … pairing action and adventure with social issues.” Adds Prairie Review, “A deeply intriguing, ambitious historical fiction series.”
Tom briefly ran his own children’s book imprint, Calico Books (Contemporary Books, Chicago). Tom’s newspaper column “Shelter” appeared in the North County Times for seven years. Tom earned a Masters in English Literature in San Diego, where he also served as Executive Director of San Diego Habitat for Humanity.
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Author Links
Website: https://boatmansdaughter.com
Website: http://www.mycolonials.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TDurwood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.durwood.52/about
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-durwood-542bb422/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usefulsherpa/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/theusefulsherpa/_created/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Tom-Durwood/e/B00935QAQ6
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5462355.Tom_Durwood
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Book Links
This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3Gv62Q
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pact-Illustrated-Colonials-Book-ebook/dp/B0924ZN7SB
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Pact-Illustrated-Colonials-Book-ebook/dp/B0924ZN7SB
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Pact-Illustrated-Colonials-Book-ebook/dp/B0924ZN7SB
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Pact-Illustrated-Colonials-Book-ebook/dp/B0924ZN7SB